Director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM) in Jordan Fr. Dr. Rif’at Bader met with His Holiness Pope Francis  on Monday, January 27, at the Apostol Palace in the Vatican and presented him with a hard plate image of the inauguration of the Church of the Baptism of Jesus Christ, which took place in January 2025 in the presence of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who represented His Holiness the Pope.

An inscription on the hard plate image reads what Pope Francis addressed the Christians in the Middle East in October 2024, namely “You Christians of the East, you are planted in your sacred lands, become sprouts of hope in your societies.”

Fr. Rif’at Bader informed His Holiness Pope Francis about the Jordanian exhibition that will be inaugurated in the Vatican in a few days titled: “Jordan the Dawn of Christianity” which will be supervised by the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and scheduled to last until the end of next February.

This meeting took place during the reception held by Pope Francis with the directors of Catholic media centers located in 138 countries around the world, including Jordan, where Fr. Rif’at Bader represented the CCSM which is affiliated with the Latin Patriarchate. Fr. Bader said that the Pope expressed his admiration for the Church of the Baptism of Lord Jesus Christ, which was inaugurated in Jordan recently.

Pope Francis said during his meeting with the directors of Catholic media centers, in the presence of Perfect of the Dicastery of Communication Dr. Paolo Ruffini : I thank you, media employees, for your continuous work. Go ahead with courage and joy that stem from spreading the good news that accompanies your media work.

The  Pontiff stressed that media is not just a tactical or technical work, nor just a repetition of unrefined slogans or mere writing continuous media reports, but media represent an act of love par excellence. They are the free gift of love that alone can produce fruits of goodness and altruism. He said to the attendees: “Make through the media outlets that you work in, ones that produce goodness every day with patience, calmness and faith.